Chapter 722: Retrieving the s.p.a.ce Elevator
Translator: _Min_ Editor: Caron_
Kwai returned home without her soul. She didn’t recall how she left the Yos.h.i.+hara Club, nor was she aware of the expression she had when she walked into the 50-square-meter apartment.
She took a shower and collapsed onto her bed. When she woke up the next day at noon, she realized that the pillow was soaked.
Whenever she thought about what happened yesterday, her body s.h.i.+vered uncontrollably.
She picked up the phone on her nightstand, and her fingers unconsciously rubbed the screen as she didn’t know who to call. The buzz of an incoming e-mail suddenly shocked her. After seeing the sender, she was relieved. It was a work email.
As expected, the search warrant she applied for the day before was immediately rejected. Her plan wasn’t to catch up with the changes. She originally planned on investigating Jiang Chen first and find evidence of his connection with the Yoto Suburbs virus incident then obtain a search warrant to become a legend in the Yoto police community….
It now appeared that her plan was just a joke.
Tears dripped down involuntarily, was.h.i.+ng away her self-esteem.
She wanted to call the police, but she felt that her thoughts were ridiculous. She was part of the Yoto Police Department – who would she report to? She suddenly regretted her decision the day before. If she hadn’t acted on impulse, she wouldn’t have been…
She wanted to call her boyfriend, but she didn’t know how to seek comfort from him. It was impossible to talk about what happened last night.
The most ridiculous thing, however, was that the figure who scared her lingered in her mind like a devil.
…
“s.p.a.ce elevator? You’re asking the right person; no one is more familiar with that thing than us.” Wu Yue suddenly laughed. “Before the war, one of White Beluga Submarine Observation Station’s tasks was to investigate the geological environment near the s.p.a.ce elevator base No. 3 to detect geological disasters and a.s.sist with maintenance.”
“What’s the situation like there?” Jiang Chen asked immediately.
“Destroyed thoroughly.” Wu Yue reluctantly shrugged. “I still remember the day. At the beginning of the war, the tracks that streaked into the clouds were hit by several missiles, and 30,000 kilometers of graphene cables collapsed into the sea. An entire island was cut into two pieces by a graphene cable… so I advise you not to count on it.”
[Don’t count on it?] He wasn’t foolish; Jiang Chen had been counting on the s.p.a.ce elevator. NAC had no way of getting to sea or else he would’ve already sent people to explore the whereabouts of pre-war s.p.a.ce elevators. Rebuilding a s.p.a.ce elevator was nearly impossible in the apocalypse, where there were few people and resources and no production capacity for technology, but it could be done in the modern world!
“I think I can still count on it… Do you have any way of moving the wreckage of the s.p.a.ce elevator into shallow water?” Jiang Chen asked.
Wu Yue looked at Jiang Chen as if he was a madman, and he facepalmed.
“Do you know how heavy the base station for the s.p.a.ce elevator is?”
“How heavy is it?”
“With a displacement of 10 million tons, no power system is capable. After being anch.o.r.ed, it has to rely on special transport equipment to redeploy. Not to mention that it’s still sinking at the bottom of the sea. Not to mention shallow sea – it’s not easy to bring to the surface to begin with.”
“I see…” Jiang Chen frowned.
“What do you want to do with a s.p.a.ce elevator? It can only be deployed at the equator,” Wu Yue wondered.
Wu Yue had another thought he failed to verbalize. Now that outer s.p.a.ce was filled with s.p.a.ce debris and looked like an asteroid belt from afar, there was no way to develop in outer s.p.a.ce.
“You don’t have to worry about what I’m using it for.” Jiang Chen waved. After contemplating for a moment, he continued, “Well, you can escort our construction s.h.i.+ps. We’ll be responsible for the s.h.i.+pment. We can discuss the price again?”
“I will convey your proposal to my superiors and give you a reply tomorrow at the latest.” Wu Yue nodded.
“Then you can take your leave now,” said Jiang Chen.
It wasn’t impossible to build a s.p.a.ce elevator from scratch. The Graphene Research Inst.i.tute in the modern world developed a graphene cable that could be used to construct a s.p.a.ce elevator. Although an elevator of 22nd-century standards couldn’t be achieved, a primary stage s.p.a.ce elevator could still be built.
However, unlike Penglai, even if the production capacity of the New Malaysia Special District was completely directed to the s.p.a.ce elevator project, it would take at least five years to complete the entire project.
In other words, when the s.p.a.ce elevator would be completed, it would be 2023.
But if the wreckage of the s.p.a.ce elevator from the apocalypse could be transported into the modern world, it would make things much easier.
It wouldn’t be impossible for the project to be completed within one year.
Wu Yue didn’t disappoint Jiang Chen’s expectations. The White Beluga Submarine Observation Station quickly agreed with Jiang Chen’s proposal. After some bargaining, the two sides finally reached a preliminary cooperation agreement.
NAC set up a port on Hengsha Island, north of w.a.n.ghai City, where the merchants from Sixth Street would trade necessities with the station. Items traded would include food, raw materials, some household goods, industrial products, and a limited number of arms.
The settlement currency was limited to NAC’s credit, and the tariffs were tentatively set at 10%.
The s.p.a.ce elevator’s transportation agreement was written in another agreement.
White Beluga Submarine Observation Station would dissemble, repair s.p.a.ce elevator bases, and recover the wreckage of s.p.a.ce elevators from outer s.p.a.ce. The NAC was responsible for dispatching transport vessels.
Because the sunken s.p.a.ce elevator was far from w.a.n.ghai, and the depth of the sea near w.a.n.ghai was relatively shallow, it wasn’t convenient to place a s.p.a.ce elevator base there. After discussion with the Observation Station, Jiang Chen decided to use Taipei as a transit point.
For Jiang Chen, it didn’t matter where he s.h.i.+pped these parts to the modern world. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was unfamiliar with the station, he would’ve rushed directly to the targeted sea area to transport it from there and save time.
After signing an agreement with the Observation Station, the expeditionary forces of NAC also finished mobilizing.
The AS Order steel airs.h.i.+p could take off and fly along the coastline toward the island of Yizhou. It was expected to arrive in Taipei within eight hours. Accompanied by the Zhao Corporation’s trade fleets, their main task was to act as guides and communicate with survivors on the island of Yizhou.
Zhao Corporation was familiar with the situation in Taipei. The rocket engines and aviation equipment acquired by NAC were all obtained from the launch site in Taipei.
Jiang Chen’s instructions to the captain, Li w.a.n.g, were simple – they were to establish an outpost in Taipei with 200 Marines along with radar stations and lighthouses. They were to establish positive relations.h.i.+ps with local survivors as permitted by the circ.u.mstances and, if possible, integrate those survivors under the NAC banner.
For this second NAC crusade, Jiang Chen gave Li w.a.n.g a high degree of autonomy. During the Hongcheng expedition, the ex-guard captain had proved his abilities.
Jiang Chen also believed the captain he personally promoted would definitely live up to his expectations.